By: Nicholas Bass
In the ongoing international drug case involving four Portuguese nationals with five Gambians, the Banjul High Court presided over by Justice Ebrima Jaiteh on Tuesday admitted into evidence 30 blocks of cocaine as presented State Lawyer M Sarr.
The 30 blocks of cocaine were admitted into evidence as exhibit P19 series following the state lawyer M. Sarr’s application that came after the second prosecution witness Kemo Jaiteh who was recalled into the dock.
However, there was no objection from the defense lawyers against the tendered 30 blocks of cocaine which gave the court the speed to admit the three (3) hand luggage, each containing ten (10) blocks of cocaine.
Justice Jaiteh at that juncture ordered the assistant court registrar, Lamin Jammeh to seal the exhibited drugs into secure transparent white plastic bags for safekeeping after inspection.
‘’These items must be entrusted to the Director General of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) for custody until further orders from this court’’, Justice Jaiteh ruled.
Justice further ordered the court assistant registrar to escort DLEAG officers with the exhibited 30 blocks cocaine to the headquartered of DLEAG where the DLEAG Director is expected to sign to confirm receipt of the exhibit.
Testifying before the court, the fifteenth prosecution witness (pw15), Abdoukarim Sisawo, a principal regulatory officer told the court that when the drugs were examined it tested positive saying ‘Cocaine was present.’’
Still testifying under-crossed examination with defense lawyer Sheriff K. Jobe, the state witness, Sisawo agreed with the lawyer that the entire blocks of exhibits were not examined, adding that samples were extracted from the said drugs.
The state’s pw1, Jaiteh when questioned by defense lawyer Jobe stated that drugs were not found with the four Portuguese nationals, stating that the drugs were found at Banjul Airport lodge.
Meanwhile, the court record in count one revealed that Vilmar Cabral Roel, Ana Patricia Dos Santos Furtodos, Simara Nadiya Martins, and Miriam Maria Mendes on or about 29 June 2024 at Banjul International Airport in West Coast Region of The Gambia and within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, allegedly had 33kg and 600g of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
The particulars of count two read that the four Portuguese ladies with Seedy Ceesay, Lamin Ceesay, Yaya K. Jatta, Modou Bojang, and Muhammed Jallow on or about 29 June 2024 at Banjul International Airport in West Coast Region of The Gambia and within the jurisdiction of this honorable court allegedly dealing in prohibited drug for the purpose of transportation.
